Do you know how Leap Year started?
By coffeebreak
@coffeebreak (17798)
United States
February 29, 2008 4:05pm CST
Do you know why there's a leap year - an extra day every four years? I still don't see how the "collect" enough hours to make a day every four years, and for it to be "created" so long ago, and how the moon can be so exact, but they did it...
http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/daily-brief/2008/02/29/happy-leap-day-unless-youre-in-debt
First time I have heard the "how's" of leap year. Ever think those people back there were so smart?
4 people like this
8 responses
@bfarrier1 (2082)
• United States
1 Mar 08
I never really knew how we got leap year and haven't thought alot about it except we get a extra day in Feb. every four years. I know that it is all scentfic and about the orbit and the moon and such. I guess there was smart people,probably from the beginning of time. Have a great Leap Day!
@bfarrier1 (2082)
• United States
1 Mar 08
I totally agree with you.Well I worked for 9hrs.then went grocery shopping(which I hate) then pretty much been on the computer since getting home except for making dinner now getting ready for bed this will be last post for tonight.Happy Leap Day!
1 person likes this
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
1 Mar 08
I bet you didn't know Feb 29th is one of the first "save the trees" initiatives...Think how much paper they save by only sticking that date in a calendar every 4 years... :)
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
10 May 08
Don't see they save any trees. THey are making the calendars anyway. There are always extra "day squares" on the calendar page and they are blank. Every 4 years they add "29" to one of the blank squares. I use the blank squares to write common phone numbers in or a phone number to remember. On leap year page, there are still extra squares and if not, I use the margin of the calendar. Seems it'd be more a savings on ink not having to print "29" but every four years! Why don't they do something about "save the trees" when campaign time rolls around and the cities and towns are literally littered with campaign signs on every corner and then some. Not to mention the signs are left there after the campaigns are over and they stay there until the weather does something to them. No campaign signs, or a limite to them, woudl be a huge saving of trees...
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
1 Mar 08
Yup, I know.
Normally I wouldn't take notice but this year, there is a local movie titled "The Leap Years" and the radio stations have been promoting it a bit more than shamelessly.
I also happened to look at my calendar and saw that there were 29 days in the February just past.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
1 Mar 08
Good one. The people back then were a whole lot smarter than folks today give them credit for and even those without a formal education may have had a tad more common sense. Do you know how I knew it was leap year? My myLot earnings for this month stood 3 cents away from minimum payout, which is remarkable given the few discussions I've started lately. Well, I told hubby, wow, so close, too, and he said what are you talking about, this is a leap year. Hah, hah, so it looks like I made payout 2 months in a row for the first time. Experiment completed, now I must figure out a way to wean myself off this addiction a bit, and spend just a bit more time off line. Awwwwww.
1 person likes this
@swirlz (3136)
• Philippines
1 Mar 08
Isn't it because there are 364 1/4 days in a year? Since we can't start a new year beginning in a quarter of a day, they just accumalate these quarters after the fourth year to make a whole day. Of course, this day of the leap year is exactly on the moon because it falls exactly on the correct day after four years. The other years before this leap year couldn't possibly be correct as they are lacking a quarter. Only the whole is falling exactly where it should be.
@chrissieatu (1033)
• China
1 Mar 08
Well~~I did not know why we have a leap year every 4 yesrs untill I read your post today. What a silly girl I am~ I think the ancient people are genius. They have created lots of things that are out of our imagine and of course fantastic.
1 person likes this
@theproperator (2429)
• United States
1 Mar 08
The egyptians were very into math and observing the stars, so it makes sense that they figured out a way to deal with it first. Kind of surprising the Romans hadn't tried to come up with a fix on there own, though.
We had a good article in our paper today as well on the subject.
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/02/its-leap-day-now-why-do-we-do
1 person likes this
@Feona1962 (7526)
• United States
29 Feb 08
I think I have just accepted that they knew what they were doing and I am not going to question it...LOL...I often wondered how all of this does happen...
